Dr. Dog! Soon to be on All India Duty!

What's the best thing to do when you feel ill, tired or depressed. Hug your pet and cuddle and talk to your pet. That's what some recent research findings and applications seem to indicate. Psychologists have observed that when playful and good natured mutts are around, depressed and psychotic patients who are fond of animals experience lesser anxiety.

It's not just the adults but the kids and senior citizens too who seem to benefit from the special emotional bond that pets help patients to foster. Emotionally withdrawn children and uncommunicative nursing home residents appear to be especially benefited. One of the earliest investigators in this study was Richmond Barker's study of 230 hospitalized patients with and without a dog in the room. Although this landmark study was made quite a few years ago, Indian doctors, hospitals, veterinarians and pet owners have yet to put this significant finding to practical use.

An interesting development that is happening in Asia is that a special all India project has been planned to be underway very soon. Called the Dr. Dog Programme, this project seeks to help accelerate healing in both emotionally challenged individuals as well as patients who are physically ill or ill with both communicable and non communicable illnesses.

For the first time in India, Blue Cross in collaboration with the Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) is setting up the Dr. Dog program. Organizations taking care of mentally challenged persons, cancer patients, terminally ill patients, autistic or dyslexic children have been approached and all of them are open to the idea of animal-assisted therapy.

The program will be started simultaneously in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Chennai during the Animal Welfare Fortnight of 2002. Anyone who would like to know more about this programme may write in to : Mrs. Vasanthi Rajiv, Blue Cross of India, 1 Eldams Road, Chennai 600 018. Fax 044-234 9801 or e-mail her at: vasanthirajiv@tatanova.com.